We've been trying to invite one family over a week and branch out to get to know some aquaintances bettter.   We invited another homescholing family with four children almost the same ages as our children.  It was SO much fun!   I never thought I'd say this, but it was so very incredibly beneficial to me to leave our church last year!  We were members and we didn't want to be considered "church hoppers" but it just was not a healthy place for me.  Early on I somehow got the label of boring and lame and for some insane reason felt I had to act that way- the good ole self fufilling prohecy for my education days. You tell a child they are no good and not going to amount to anything, they won't prove you wrong! (generally speaking of course)  So I spent almost five years being miserable and feeling left out.  Labels are very restricting things for people, I sure hope I can remember these feelings and  not unitentionally label others or my children!  But anyhow we began attending a church that met in the evenings and quite a few people I knew from high school attend and I was great fun in high school.  So they simply expected me to still be fun and suddenly I was able to be!  So I've been having great fun getting to know people- lots of it!!  I'm sure it will take me a while to totally be able to move out of my shell, but it's been so refreshing,  To clarify I'm sure no one from our other church would ever say anything negative about me, but it's just the actions- my "friends" would go somewhere and not even ask me "since I wouldn't go anyway"  just a whole bunch of little things that added up to a whole lot of hurt for me.  I can feel myself closing up whenever I spend time with people from the other church.  I hope it time I can truly get over it and enjoy spending time with them, especially since our neighbors attend the other church and I know she has a great heart- I just totally cringe sometimes.  This turned a bit long winded and is pretty personal for me- I'm not one to share too much personal stuff.